Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Frozens are 'first' -- touch preps are 'additional.'You've just read how CPT 2011 helped clarify reporting multiple intraoperative frozen section blocks and touch prep sites, but what if the pathologist evaluates frozen sections and touch preps during an intraoperative consultation on the same specimen?Frozens and Touch Preps Together -- Do This:CPT provides a text note that instructs you how to code both services: "For intraoperative consultation on a specimen requiring both frozen section and cytologic evaluation, use 88331 [Pathology consultation during surgery; first tissue block, with frozen section(s), single specimen] and 88334 [... cytologic examination (e.g., touch prep, squash prep), each additional site (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure]."Here's how: Remember, CPT says to use the "first" frozen section code -- 88331 -- and the "each additional site" touch prep code -- 88334. "You shouldn't use both 'initial site' codes -- 88331 and 88333 (...cytologic examination [e.g.,touch prep, squash prep], initial site) -- because [...]